Sarawak prepares for possible Disaster Emergency if haze reaches critical level
KUALA LUMPUR: Sarawak is ready to declare a Disaster Emergency if the haze situation, which saw three areas record hazardous air quality readings, reaches a critical level, reports said.
Sarawak is preparing for a potential Disaster Emergency should the haze situation deteriorate to critical levels, according to reports. The Deputy Premier of the state, Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas, revealed that the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) is actively collaborating with state and federal agencies to manage the haze in Sarawak.
Uggah, who also chairs the SDMC, explained that if the Air Pollutant Index (API) reaches 500, government and private-sector offices, except essential services, would be required to close pending further action from the National Committee on Disaster Management.
Currently, three air quality monitoring stations in Sarawak have reported hazardous API readings. The highest reading was recorded at Serian police station with a value of 439, followed by Samarahan at 335 and Kuching at 319. Two other areas, Sri Aman and Sarikei, reported very unhealthy API readings of 278 and 222, respectively.
Altogether, eight areas in Sarawak recorded unhealthy API readings ranging from 152 to 198, including Limbang, ILP Miri, Kapit, Miri, Samalaju, Bintulu, Mukah and Sibu. The only two areas outside Sarawak to record unhealthy readings were Taiping in Perak with a reading of 116 and Labuan with a reading of 156.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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